They Are the Darkness
by Koala75
Summary: "Understanding both dark and light helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has some of both." - Pyrrha Nikos. A new evil rises and is threatening the safety of both Beacon Academy and the people of Remnant. Darkness is spreading like a virus, and no one is safe from the infection.
1. Prologue

**A/N: On my profile, I have the link to the RWBY fanfiction blog I run. You can ask questions, talk about theories, and (hopefully soon) find links to artwork on the characters, fun headcanons, and a friendly environment for RWBY fans! Hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

Smoke filled the air, with guns firing off like fireworks. For a moment, Ruby wondered if the chaos was all in her imagination. Coughing the smog from her lungs, she crouched, moving forward through the ruins of what once stood as Beacon Academy's left wing. Behind her, another explosion shook the ground, echoes of screams and manic laughter arising from the rubble.

All around her, there were students; some were like her, searching for the source of the trouble. Others were kneeling by their teammates, giving their best efforts in healing the wounded. More than anything, there were peers lying on the ground, bleeding and crying out for help, or unconscious under debris.

Ruby didn't know who to help first.  
Her objective was to find Ozpin. A sight of any teacher would've been nice, but they vanished immediately after the first explosion.

Hearing the wild laughter approaching, Ruby sucked in a sharp breath, sprinting away. Within moments, she made it out to the front of the school. When she turned to look back, her heart skipped a beat.  
Beacon Academy had crumbled, not much left aside from remnants of the walls. More bodies were injured than abled, and she scanned the area for any sign of her professors.

Her name was called, and she perked up, relieved when she saw her teammates. Weiss had changed from her nightgown into her combat apparel, though her hair was still down. Blake and Yang were behind her, their weapons being readied. Ruby leaped over the broken chunks of brick, closing the distance between her and her team.

Staring out at the fire and destruction, she tried to pinpoint where everything started. The night had been quiet. Average. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Team RWBY went to bed after lessons, bidding a good night to the remains of their neighboring Team JNPR. Ruby stayed up to finish extra homework, stuck on an essay for Port. Then the first explosion was set off.  
At first she thought it was one of the students. Perhaps it was only an accident with dust. Weiss would give everyone an earful when she woke up.

But then there were screams. The emergency alarm went off and Ruby ran with her team until they were separated by another explosion.

"Guys, have you seen Ozpin? Or Goodwitch?" she demanded, breathless from the running and panic. The other girls shook their heads, continuing to search until a familiar voice screamed nearby.

"She was in the explosion, Ren! I can't find her!"  
"Nora, we have to go!"

Ruby spotted the two friends bolting towards them, and she prepared her weapon, watching out for them as they cleared the distance.

"RUBY, LOOK OUT!" Yang's voice resonated in her ears, but she was a second too late. A heavy, blunt object hit her, knocking her away from her team. Suddenly all the noise was replaced with a loud ringing. Ruby shook her head, pushing herself up. The ringing gradually faded, leaving room for the sounds of Yang's gauntlets firing at something, and Weiss jumping from her glyphs. Nora's hammer shot a few grenades. Ren's pistols were closer than the other weapons.

Rubbing the sore spot on her head, Ruby's vision started to refocus. A tall figure stood in front of her, and she scowled when she recognized the outline.

"You," she hissed, grabbing Crescent Rose. Rising to her feet, she swung the scythe around, holding it an inch away from his neck. "I trusted you."  
A wicked grin, looking out of place and foreign on him, stretched across his face.

"We _all_ trusted you!"

Angrily, she pulled the trigger.


	2. Chapter 1

"_Are you ever worried?"  
"About what?"  
"That maybe... we're doing it wrong. Maybe the decisions we make as leaders aren't right."  
"What is this about, Jaune?"  
"I- never mind. It's crazy talk."_

Ruby flipped her pen between her fingers, only half paying attention to Port's lecture. Today's topic: Death Stalkers. At the mention of them, she recalled how Jaune's team took one down excellently under his command. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she tried to flash him a smile, but his gaze focused elsewhere. A gloom set in on him after the strenuous combat practice, the stress of being a leader weighing on his shoulders.

"_Ren was knocked at least twenty feet away from us. I keep thinking, 'what if this was a real fight?' I wonder if I'll be good enough to keep my team safe."  
"That's crazy talk, you're a great leader-"  
"I didn't say I wasn't. I'm saying the odds of me __**always**__ protecting my team- it's impossible."_

The bell rang, dismissing the class. Yang waited for her sister, noticing how her eyes watched after Jaune. Behind him, Pyrrha followed, hesitantly reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. When contact was made, he sighed. Then the frown disappeared, and he smiled at her. Relief took over her features, and she started a conversation with him as they walked off.

"What was that?" Yang asked, turning to Ruby. Weiss and Blake stopped on either side of her, and she studied Jaune for a long moment before shrugging.

"It was a long day," she answered simply. The other girls accepted the answer, preparing to head back to their dorm. Weiss eagerly moved in front of them; there were only so many instances in which she showed excitement. Racking her brain for what the occasion could possibly be, Ruby's eyes widened when she remembered.

"Guys, hurry! The new teams are being announced and I want to study- er, welcome our new peers," Weiss exclaimed, nearly prancing down the hall. Exchanging a smirk with her sister, Ruby and the others followed after Weiss, stopping at the doors leading to the stage where teams would step up to be announced. Allowing the last of the new students to pass, the team crept in, moving along the back until they had a decent view. Weiss stood on the tips of her toes, eliciting chuckles from her friends.

Rows of young hunters and huntresses waited anxiously, several of them looking around. A majority of them wore the same earnest expressions Ruby and her friends shared on their first day. Only a handful were expressionless, handling the excitement of team assignments rather maturely. After a moment, Blake nudged Ruby, subtly motioning to a group of students standing away from the others.

"They seem pretty familiar with each other," she claimed, carefully monitoring them. Ruby followed her gaze, spotting the group. Before she could even open her mouth to respond, Ozpin cleared his throat, taking the attention of everyone in the room. Goodwitch stood beside him, her scroll out, but impossible to see from the ground. Ruby didn't listen to his opening speech, but instead watched on as Blake's eyes narrowed and she observed the four kids.

When she stole another peek at them, she realized they didn't look like kids at all. One of them appeared to be Yang's age, but the rest seemed a few years older. Were they seriously new students?

"Lavendel Mara. Verona Scarlet. Rue Celladon. Narcissa Violette. The four of you retrieved the emerald gems. From this day forward, you will be known as Team VRLN," Ozpin announced. Ruby nodded, impressed. Vermillion was a nice team name. Yang hung her arms around Blake and Ruby's neck, snickering as quietly as she could.

"You think Ozpin stays up all night figuring out these names?" she joked, earning a shush from Weiss. The new team cleared the stage, and a new set of photos were displayed on the board. Ruby's smile vanished, and her eyes darted from Blake, to the four students she'd been eyeing upon arrival.

"Jade Evaki. Siren Marigolds. Malinda Azur. Icarus Gure. The four of you collected the diamonds. From this day forward, you will be known as Team JSMI."  
Jasmine. Team Jasmine. Ruby didn't know what felt off about the group, but she knew it was something. Blake pulled her and Yang back, with Yang gripping Weiss's arm and dragging her along as well. Her protest was silenced by a professor, and the group made their way into the halls.

"What was tha-"  
"Did you notice anything peculiar about that last group?" Blake demanded, cutting Weiss off. Ruby nodded, but Yang and Weiss shook their heads uncertainly. "They were all standing together before they were called, like they knew they'd be a team. That's not all though. Did you happen to notice they're all faunus?" She sounded paranoid, a trait she normally never possessed.

Yet now that Ruby thought about it, Blake was right. It didn't show obviously at first, but when she replayed the memory, she picked up the details. The first one had a bulge hidden in the back of her shirt, the ends of wings poking through the bottom. The second girl moved so sharply, it was hard to notice her appearance, but when she stopped on stage, it showed clear as day. Where her ears should've been, there were fins. A reptilian tail, perhaps that of a lizard, slithered behind the third girl. Finally, the boy- his heritage being the most obvious- had fox ears protruding from his head.

Curious, Ruby poked her head in the room again, seeking the team. When she spotted them, she made sure they couldn't see her. Watching them conversing, she took in each one's appearance. Jade, the winged faunus, had been named leader. Her lengthy hair was swept to the left, the rest of her head shaved on either side. A mask covered most of her face, her arms receiving the most exposure. There were two thick scars on her right arm, clearly damage from a blade.

Siren, the faunus with fins, rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Vibrant makeup surrounded her eyes, her colorful clothes corresponding with them. Strapped to her back was a trident, the tips sharpened to a thin point. Beside her, Malinda whipped Siren's ankle with her tail, commanding her to calm down. The sole male on the team, Icarus, pushed his dreadlocks from his face. His eyes shifted away from his teammates, locking with Ruby's. Quickly backing out into the hallway, she beckoned for her team to follow.

Marching straight to the dorms, the girls didn't say a word. When they entered their room, Ruby sank to the floor, her heart pounding. For some reason, Icarus's penetrative gaze left her uneasy. However, while the new students appeared different from the rest, it wasn't cause for panic.

"I don't think we should worry about them," Ruby declared. Yang's lips parted, but nothing came out. Something bothered her younger sister. She just didn't know how to ask what. Blake sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"For now, at least," she added, sitting down on her bed.

* * *

Dusk fell over Vale.  
Crows cawed in the distance. Bits of old newspaper were blown away by the wind.  
A light beep interrupted the overall silence, a scroll lighting up with Jade Evaki's photo. It lied on a garbage can in the alley, and from the shadows, a hand reached out to answer the call.

"Mistress Oya. We're in."

Stepping into the light of the moon, Oya Nero, a slender, dark skinned woman flashed a wicked grin.

"Good," she said. "Are there any candidates for our mission?"

"A few. One boy in particular," Jade answered confidently. Oya's grin widened, her teeth visible. Her brother, Teer, appeared from behind her, sharing the triumphant smile.

"Go on."

"His name is Jaune Arc."


End file.
